On April 29 we held our
19th Leadership Development Institute on campus. The LDI served to
focus on changes under way in the health care industry, recognition of
high performers, cost savings plans and presentations on best
practices.

We reviewed progress on
our fiscal year 2011 Medical Center pillar-based goals and discussed
the work under way to formulate our FY 2012 goals. Dr. Pat Cawley,
executive medical director, updated the participants on the Quality and
Revenue Link as we posture ourselves for changes in reimbursement.
Chris Rees, director, Quality & Patient Safety, and Jennifer Hooks,
manager, Performance Improvement, recognized a number of individuals
who have completed LEAN training during the past several months.

We had a good update on
our 5 & 5 cost savings plans, which we have routinely reported on
in this newsletter. Casey Liddy, director, Office of Strategic
Planning, explained that our goal is to reduce the cost of care by 5
percent this year and 5 percent next year, during the FY 2009 base
period, for a total reduction of $100 million while improving quality
of care. For purposes of this initiative, our costs are measured by
cost per adjusted discharge and our goal is an overall reduction from
$16,686 to $15,018 by the end of FY 2012. To date we can document a
reduction in costs of slightly more than1 percent. While our savings to
date is less than we had hoped for, it is noteworthy that we absorbed
normal inflationary costs and a pay adjustment since the 2009 base
period. We expect to see more results from our cost savings plans in
the months ahead.

At the LDI we heard 5
& 5 cost savings plan presentations from leaders who have achieved
impressive cost savings to date. Karen Weaver, director, Surgical
Services, and Jeff Fuller, analytics manager, discussed cost savings
initiatives taken by Perioperative Services. Their success to date is
attributed to physician collaboration, working specialty groups, data
transparency, and an emphasis on teamwork. They described examples of
two of their cost savings initiatives focused on supply chain
management and instrument inventory optimization, but have seen
positive outcomes in a wide variety of initiatives this fiscal year,
including vendor contract renegotiation, OR efficiency (room turnover),
inventory management accuracy and other tactics. They described the
secret to their success as setting out to maintain or improve patient
care quality while increasing efficiency and reducing waste. As a
result, this year Perioperative Services has achieved a 3.4 percent
cost savings to date (approximately $1 per OR Minute) and they expect
to fulfill the 5 percent goal by the end of this fiscal year.

Laboratory Services has
realized a year to date savings of $677,046 in lab supplies and has
decreased lab costs per adjusted discharge by 2.4 percent compared to
FY 2009. Achievement of the 5 percent goal is expected this fiscal year
as blood product and test utilization strategies are implemented

We heard from two leaders
who have led implementation of best practices that have improved
service and quality of care. Hope Colyer, manager, Referral Services,
discussed progress made to date with the pilot centralized discharge
call program, which currently includes nine units. The centralized
calls program has enabled calls to 100 percent of discharged patients
with a "reach rate" in the 90 percent range. Key information is
obtained from patients and, as needed, physicians and other care
providers are contacted for follow up. The information collected from
the calls is reported in the electronic medical record.

Mike Sawin, nurse manager,
10W, also presented the discharge process implemented on 10W. Sawin
explained that Performance Improvement Facilitators, Stephanie Sargent
and Rob Finch, were instrumental in getting the project started and
with keeping the 10W team on track. The team examined all phases of the
discharge process and, among other things, created a discharge board
for each patient room and a checklist. The results have included
significantly decreased time for discharge, more timely bed turnover,
and dramatically improved HCAHPS and patient satisfaction scores. Our
goal is to use 10 West's discharge process as a model and roll it out
throughout the hospital(s).

Three leaders regarded as
"employee engagement pacesetters" shared the methods they have used to
achieve high employee partnership scores. Leah Ramos, 9E nurse manager,
discussed how her focus on generational differences has enhanced
communication and satisfaction. Carla Pascoe, nurse manager, 7E
Pediatric Surgery, discussed initiatives taken to elevate employee
engagement including recognition, teamwork and pride. Richard Smith,
general manager, Environmental Services, shared with the participants
an array of best practices to improve employee engagement including
meaningful staff meetings, "daily energizers," EVS newsletter,
Stoplight Reports and other tactics.

The outstanding
presentations at this LDI speak to our collective efforts to achieve
cost savings, improve quality of care and enhance employee engagement.
The presentations can be found at http://mcintranet.musc.edu/muscexcellence/LDI/.
Thanks to everyone for a job well done.

The $1.2 million grant, awarded last
December, is sponsored by the S.C. Hospital Association, Eat Smart,
Move More South Carolina and and North Carolina Prevention Partners
(NCPP) and funded by the Duke Endowment. Working Well began with an
assessment of all hospitals, sharing of executive summary report cards,
survey results and introduced at the SCHA's February annual meeting.
The survey focused on policies, environments and benefits related to
physical activity, nutrition and tobacco prevention.

To help track MUSC's progress, program
organizers will utilize surveys, survey results and assessment tools
from WorkHealthy America, NCPP and SCHA. Work committees will be formed
and an action plan being designed.
OCIO downtimeDave Northrup, director of Clinical
Systems-OCIO, announced an upcoming main data center planned downtime
beginning at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 14, to 7 a.m., Sunday, May 15. The
downtime is needed to repair, test and rectify the campus' main data
center's battery back-up system. During this 12-hour campuswide
computer system downtime period, all clinical and non-clinical
information systems will be unavailable with some exceptions. Systems
that will be available during the downtime: all phone systems (except
wireless IP phones), fax machines, Internet (using a different Web
browser), wireless network, www.musc.edu will have an info maintenance
page only, SIMON Paging Services and OCIO help desk, 792-9700. All
hospital areas must be prepared with downtime procedures. The Red Coat
team will distribute inpatient downtime reports prior to outage. Once
the power is restored, time will be needed before systems are fully
operable.

Quality—Providing
quality patient care in a safe environmentErica Rouvalis, chair of the
patient safety and mobility committee, recognized excellence through
the Firm Ground Fall Prevention program's WOOF (With Out One Fall)
Awards The quarterly award recognizes units with the fewest falls in
the past three months, year and most improved for preventing falls. The
winners were honored April 11 -- 5West, fewest falls (four quarters),
2TCU, fewest injuries associated with falls, and ART 6EX, most improved.

AnnouncementsMark Lyles, M.D.,
returns to MUSC to assume the new role of chief strategic officer for
the MUSC Clinical Enterprise. Lyles will work with MUHA leadership
working with the College of Medicine and University Medical Associates
leadership in managing all aspects of MUHA affiliations with other
health care systems and hospitals. He previously worked at the American
Association of Medical Colleges as senior director of health care
affairs.

The next meeting is
May 17.

Friday, May 6,
2011

The
Catalyst Online is published weekly by the MUSC Office of Public
Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical
University of South Carolina. The Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn,
can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy
can be submitted to The Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by
fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu.
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